Hello everyone! It has been a while, and I have still not finished Galactic, but I thought I would do an 8ES chapter before my exams came up and bogged me down even further. This arc will make up for the delay as there are several twists coming I doubt anyone would expect, so enjoy!
Chapter Forty Six: Breakfast at Jericho's
Alaska Acevedo, you have escaped death once more, escaped a folly caused by your own actions. If you keep this up, you shall not survive. You must focus on your battles; you must find a way to escape this path you have set your mind on.
I can't leave; I have been dealt my cards. I have put too much into this to turn my back on it now
Then you must face the consequences. Two forces are continuing to threaten your life, your Pokemon's lives, the lives of your friends and family. Death is closer than ever, and you are willing to walk into His net. You nearly lost Alexandra, and before you have left this city, you will lose another. Make your decisions wisely, Alaska Acevedo, and be ready to accept the consequences.
What do you mean? Who is leaving me? Who is going to die?
You face your greatest challenge yet. I hope you are prepared.
Who is going to die? Tell me!?
Goodbye for now.
TELL ME!
"TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME!"
"Alaska! Wake up… snap out of it! Alaska!"
Alaska's eyes opened, but she continued to thrash about, her body becoming entangled in covers and sheets. The light above her moved and blurred as she did, and Alaska could see faces looming over her, some familiar, some not, but all she could think about was the voice inside her head and the warning that had been left. She shut her eyes against the glaring artificial light and all the strange faces looming over her, and tried to go back to the place of the blue glow and the shadowed figure. Alaska knew it was Latios that had spoken to her, the same face she had heard twice before, the voice belonging to her grey handed saviour at Vermilion. She had to know what his message meant; she had to know who was going to die so she could save them.
But when Alaska shut her eyes, all she could hear was screaming, all she could feel was something moving against her chest, and all she could see was dust as it swallowed her body whole, filled her nose and lungs, and pushed her back towards the darkness.
When Alaska opened her eyes again, the room was empty.
She had a feeling that a great deal of time had passed between since she had last awoken, but there was no way of telling as it was still as bright as it was earlier. Alaska groggily pushed herself up, struggling with the sheets that had bound her legs together. The room she was in was small and uncharacterised, the walls painted a drab shade of brown and only a few armchairs and a bedside table as decoration. There was nothing that told her where she was, though Alaska remembered seeing Sandy and Daisy's faces when she had last awoken, and was reassured that they were here. But no one else was here now, and there was an unnatural silence within the room that only made Alaska feel nervous.
"Hello?" She shouted, her voice ringing off the walls back to her, but that was the only reply she got. Alaska nervously swung her legs out from the bed, letting the long silk nightgown she had been dressed in cascade past her feet. For a brief moment, Alaska wondered if the shadowed man had kidnapped them and brought them back to a dungeon. Her eyes flickered around nervously, expecting the man to emerge from the darkness and capture her. A breeze of air suddenly struck her back, and Alaska spun around as quickly as possible, fumbling with her gown for PokeBalls that weren't there.
"Miss Acevedo, I am sorry if I frightened you," a timid voice said from the corner, and a figure moved aside, letting more light pour into the tiny room. Alaska stopped fumbling and realised she was breathing rapidly and frantically, her heart pounding against her ribs as if trying to break out. She tried to calm herself down, though the images of the blue light and falling dust clouds seemed embedded in her mind. The owner of the quiet voice moved forwards, and Alaska saw it was a girl that looked barely older than herself, dressed in a simple black dress with dry brunette hair that was tied tightly back. Her face was young and ghostly white, making the girl's worrisome green eyes glow at neon proportions.
"Mr Athlew told me to bring you up when you had woken up," the girl said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Everyone is having breakfast now." She picked up a thick, plain grey dressing gown from one of the armchairs and passed it across, though Alaska was reluctant in accepting it. She had no idea who this Mr Athlew was, no clue if he was friend or foe, but hoped it was the former if Sandy and Daisy were here… though who knew how long it had been since she had awoken and what had happened to them since.
"How long have I been unconscious for?" Alaska asked, pulling the dressing gown on and moving thankfully out of the room, entering into a long and narrow hallway of brown walls and grubby tiles. There were voices sounding from more doors to the sides, and Alaska wondered if Sandy or Paige might be behind one of them.
"You were brought in yesterday after the tunnel collapsed," the girl replied quietly, moving quickly ahead towards a heavy set of double doors. "You received only a few bruises, though I overheard the doctor say that it is a miracle that you did so." Alaska nodded at the information, pleased that only a day had passed since the collapse. She was amazed as well that she was uninjured, something that had not dawned on her in wake of seeing Latios again, but as she thought of it, Alaska was certain the mysterious legendary would have had some role in protecting her, just as he had saved her at Vermilion.
However, all thoughts of Latios faded away as the girl pushed the double doors open, and Alaska stepped out into the world beyond.
She had emerged into what seemed to be a fairytale mansion. White walls surrounded her and towered above, reaching heights that could have dwarfed Onix. The floor had changed to the most gleaming white tiles Alaska had ever laid eyes upon, so bright she was forced to turn away. Two elegant staircases crawled up the sides of the walls, moving towards another storey before curving around and moving up to the floors above. A set of doors loomed over her from a few metres away, and sunshine poured in through gigantic windows that made Alaska's neck spasm when she tried to look to the top. Splashes of colour came from an old oak set of drawers, a variety of artworks and sculptures on display, and a Mamoswine hide that seemed to swallow the floor.
"What is this place?" Alaska whispered in awe, having to turn around to take it all in. An open doorway stood directly opposite, and voices were coming at her from all directions, all of them faint but enough to blur together. This looked like the set of a television show or something you only saw in magazines, and Alaska was stunned that she had awoken here. Who would have this amount of money that wanted to protect Alaska? She turned to the girl, who she now figured was a servant, and posed the question to her.
"Mr Athlew is waiting for you outside," was all the girl replied, and Alaska suddenly saw the girl's eyes in a completely different way. They were wide and staring directly at her, showing a sense of surprise but something else… fear, was it? Or a hateful look, the girl silently telling Alaska she didn't want to be here with her. The joy of the entrance hall suddenly disappeared, and Alaska felt cold inside, despite the gown she had been given.
The two moved between the two staircase and down another corridor, decorated with more expensive portraits and strange statues that surrounded them as they walked. Alaska spied closed doors and more corridors that moved off theirs, leading towards secret rooms and what sounded like a kitchen. She wasn't taking it in with the same levels of joy as she had before, and Alaska could now only think again of who this Mr Athlew was and why she was here, as well as the message she had been given.
They moved through open glass doors onto a concrete patio, which lead out to a wide green lawn, fenced in by hedges, with a tree house that looked bigger than the Acevedo household suffocating a tree in the corner. A small group of Eevee were frolicking amongst the grass, their joyful shrieks echoing around the garden, and their presence was more reassuring. The girl led Alaska along the concrete though, past more doors and windows peering into a large and busy kitchen, larger statues and strange pillars forming their decoration, and came to a wider section. A long glass table stood before them, next to more open doors that led into an indoor dining area. Two butlers in fine suits came out carrying covered trays, placing them down amongst the four people seated at the very end. Alaska tried to work out who they were, but a butler pointed in their direction, and suddenly they all turned.
"ALASKA!" Sandy screamed, and she got up so fast her seat fell down. Alaska had no time to prepare herself before being pulled into a hug, the breath knocked out of her. All she could do was hug her friend back, remembering the glow of her egg hatching and the terrified look as Sandy had fled the collapsing tunnel.
"You shouldn't be running, you're meant to be resting!" Alaska said with a forced laugh to cover up the guilt in her voice, and quickly wiped away a tear before they moved apart. Sandy's eyes were watery though, making Alaska feel worse.
"I thought you were going to be crushed down there, and for a minute it seemed that you had!" Sandy cried, her voice getting hysterical, and Alaska patted her back in an attempt at consulting her.
"Come now Alexandra, be sensible and come and sit down!" A brisk voice said from behind them. Alaska glanced over Sandy and stared at the figures seated at the table. Daisy was on one side, smiling warmly at her over a bowl of fruit salad, seated next to a boy that looked the same age as Alaska with a head of flame-coloured hair spiked up like a yellow rock formation. At the head of the table was the owner of the brisk voice, a woman that appeared in her sixties, her hair short, grey and neatly brushed, her lined face plastered with make up despite the early time. Alaska was pleased to see Daisy was well, but was intrigued the very young and very old new guests, but could tell from a start they owned the mansion that sat calmly next to them.
"Please Alaska dear, take a seat," the woman said, gesturing a gloved left hand at the free seat next to her. Alaska had no choice but to sit down and followed Sandy back to the table, though she turned to thank the girl, only to find she had already scuttled away. She couldn't be rid of me sooner, Alaska thought bitterly as she sat down on the blue whickered chair and pulled it forwards. A butler descended on her and poured her a glass of orange juice and a cup of tea, before serving her buttered toast and a bowl of colourful and juicy fruit salad.
"Eat up girl, there is plenty of food and you have not eaten for a whole day, you must be starved!" The elderly woman said in a carrying voice as she cracked over a boiled egg. "Unless you are one of those prissy types that can only have a calorie a day, though you don't look the type, and trust me, I have met plenty in this business!" The woman said with a wink and let out a cackle.
"And what business would that be?" Alaska asked before she could stop herself, though her desire to know who these people were overcame her smarts.
"Why, my dear, the business of being wealthy," the woman replied with a twinkle in her eyes. "My husband did the earning, I did the smoozing, and I'll let you guess what the more difficult task was." Alaska smiled back at the woman, taken aback by her brashness and quick wit, and felt more reassured being in this mansion.
"Are you feeling alright Alaska?" Daisy asked. "The doctor checked you over and said nothing seemed wrong with you, but of course only you can tell us the truth."
"I feel fine, which is pretty surprising," Alaska said, and caught Sandy smiling at her, which wiped away Alaska's own. Asides from the busted leg, Alaska always walked away mostly unscathed except for bruises and cuts, but Sandy had been the one to actually get shot and nearly die before them. Though she had survived, Alaska still felt terrible to know what had happened to her friend, and knew that Sandy would have to deal with the injury for long to come.
"I think we should probably introduce ourselves before we carry on," the orange haired boy said from across the table. "My name is Jericho, and this is my grandmother Evelyn. This is the Athlew Mansion, though is more commonly called the Celadon Mansion, so you may have heard of us." Alaska nodded with a blank face, but was gasping inside at her sudden realization. Of course she knew the Athlews: they were a well known family that were said to own all of Celadon City, from the Department Store to a series of commodiums and too many restaurants and cafes to name. It was an old family, having made their money through their purchasing of hotels and stores to build up their miniature empire.
"Jericho played an important role in dealing with an enraged Dragonite a few years ago, and he has proved useful to our cause ever since," Daisy explained. "He is only young, but the Athlews have more money than they know what to do with, and that also comes in handy when we are in need."
"We have been donating to charities for years, but what use is giving the people money if someone else is going to come around and slaughter them all?" Evelyn grumbled as she munched on her egg with better teeth than Alaska had seen in her old classmates.
"I get private tutoring here," Jericho explained, "but I use my spare time to help create a small system to help Daisy, Archer and anyone else out with their work. It is only small, but it is enough to get the job done."
"Where is Archer?" Alaska asked, annoyed at herself for not realising this earlier. She glanced at Daisy and saw a look of sadness cross her eyes and face. She remembered making a connection between Daisy and Trevor when the tunnel had start to shake, and could only imagine the pain the assistant was going through. But when she spoke, her voice was normal, strong and steady.
"Trevor was still under when the tunnel collapsed, but whoever or whatever saved you must have saved him as well," she explained. "The Athlews sent builders down to clear away the rubble, and we looked around but couldn't find any sign of him. That would mean he would have at least survived long enough to get away, but we do not know where he went from there. There are still people down there securing what remains, so hopefully we'll find him or at least this shadowed man. He knew we were coming to the mansion though, so if he is able to get here, he will." Daisy smiled at them, her lips twisting up encouragingly with a hint of warmness, though the smile did not match her eyes. Alaska felt like she was going to scream in her rage at herself, and indeed she clutched the table tight enough she suspected it might crack.
"Archer will find us, there is no way he could have died," Jericho said with a more youthful enthusiasm that made Alaska stopped hating herself and question his age. "Besides, this is one of the safest buildings there is. The room where you woke up Alaska is one of many hidden behind those doors that can only be reached by getting through the world's top security system. If they get through that, there is a securer area that can withstand a nuclear attack in the basement of the house."
"Well, we know Gideon has nuclear weaponry, so that could come in handy," Alaska said bitterly, and she stabbed a watery piece of apple with her fork, spraying juiced across the surface of the table. When she looked up, she found all four of her fellow diners giving her looks of various degrees of shocked, and one butler had frozen halfway through placing a large tray of steaming French toast and a plate of muffins onto the table.
"Sorry…," Alaska said awkwardly, cursing her anger, but Evelyn gave her a stiff pat on the hand.
"It is alright dear, we understand what you must be going through," the elderly woman said with a slight smile crossing her lined face. "The fact that this Gideon is trying to destroy our planet is ghastly enough as it is, but you poor girls getting involved is just dreadful!"
"There was a reason why we were coming here," Daisy explained. "This house is safe and secure, and there is no way Gideon or anyone else will be able to find you here. We put you in the rooms near the helpers in order to keep you protected in case something went wrong with Trevor or we were somehow tracked. The Athlews have the security systems to protect us, and after what happened at Lavender Town and in the tunnel, I think we need all the protection we can get while we stay here." Alaska had been nodding along while she spoke, grabbing several l pieces of French toast from the tray and covering them with thick, amber coloured syrup. However, as her childlike glee from doing this past, something behind the words started to dwell on her.
"While we stay here?" Alaska repeated, looking up at Daisy. "What do you mean while we stay here? I am supposed to be travelling on my journey. I still have five gym badges to get! You can't expect me to stay in one city forever." Daisy, Jericho and Evelyn all exchanged looks, and Alaska glanced angrily at Sandy as if this was her fault, but her friend looked as surprised as she did.
"Alaska, you have to understand, we need to protect you," Jericho explained. How can you protect me when you probably haven't hit puberty yet? Alaska thought viciously, but held her tongue. "Gideon is too powerful, and we still do not know the identity of those killers that struck you in the Rock Tunnel, or who is sending these robots after you, though we have suspicions. It is not safe for you to go out into the world until we have cleared these matters up!"
"Suspicions, what suspicions?" Alaska asked, her eyes flickering between the three people before her, though no one jumped at the opportunity to tell her what she wanted to know, and her eyes settled on Daisy, Daisy who had said they had no idea who was doing it only two weeks ago. Furious, Alaska grabbed her plate and threw it on the ground, where it shattered and made Sandy jumped. "I have been fighting in this battle for too long now, and now you lot want me to stop doing it? You all need to get on the same page for those 'Elites' of Kanto and decide what path you actually want me to take before you drive me insane!"
"I heard you never wanted to fight this battle in the first place!" Evelyn snapped back, the joy and laughter fading rapidly from her face and eyes, which began dark, glaring and angry.
"I didn't, I only wanted to go around Kanto and earn my gym badges, but Gideon has stopped me from doing so. Yet now you don't seem to want me to do anything!" Alaska hissed. "You have to at least let me earn my gym badges if I am going to be banned from putting that crazed scientist in his place!"
"Young lady, you should really hold your tongue!" Evelyn croaked, leaping to her feet and glaring down at Alaska. "We are trying to protect you because you are rash and out of control! You are not ready to even take on these gym leaders you are so desperately craving to defeat, let alone fight Gideon!" Alaska got to her own feet and felt around in her dressing gown for her PokeBalls, only to realise she still didn't have them. However, she felt something get pressed into her hand, and looked down to see a bold smile on Sandy's face as she pushed three PokeBalls into her friend's hands.
"I am ready to fight because I have a strong team around me, both human and Pokemon wise," Alaska cried, and threw the three PokeBalls onto the table, and put a hand on Sandy's shoulder. The devices opened and light poured out, and a butler cried out in shock as Paige, Frances and Nadia landed on the table. The three cried out in joy, and Alaska was relieved to see that they were all happy and healthy, especially Nadia, who nearly leapt off the table in joy. Alaska beamed down at them all, relieved that Darwin had not been brought out, as she knew how badly that would end. The Apricorn Ball signalled for control… Alaska thought, but didn't voice this aloud. She ignored Daisy's, knowing the scientist would notice the cover up, and instead glared back at the Athlews. Evelyn looked furious at having Pokemon released onto her breakfast table, but Jericho got to his feet and put a reassuring hand on his grandmother's wrist.
"You have a variety of Pokemon Alaska, I will give you that, and it is clear that Sandy has strong Pokemon as well and is a loyal friend," the teenager said with an almost cocky smile. "Good friends and a slightly odd mixture of Pokemon will not protect you in the end though, and I think it is time you learnt this." The smile in his eyes was unsettling, and Alaska was starting to wish she was still passed out in the slave's quarters where she could at least hold her tongue.
"Gather up your Pokemon Alaska," Jericho said with a broad beam, "I think it is time we go and meet Alexis."
The next chapter will be out after I finally finish this Galactic, and expect Alaska to mentally clear up what may seem like contradictions that appeared in this chapter.
